Some Crazy Kind of Miracle
by Olivia94
Summary: Disaster strikes New Directions on their way to Regional's. How will they cope? Will they even survive? Finchel with hints of Quick and Tartie. Please R&R. Thanks! :D
1. Things Don't Always Go As Planned

**Okay guys, I'm gonna try something a bit different with this story. I'm going to write a full, progressive story in my favorite little mix of first and second person. If anyone has read my story "Unexpected", it'll be like that; only it'll have a continuing story line. **

**This story just kind of popped into my head. I love writing for Glee, and I wanted to do something super angsty and disastrous. I've already read ones about fires and school shootings, but never one like this. I'm not saying that it's not out there, but I'm excited about it and I have high hopes. **

**Okay, I'm done with my rant. **

**Hope you enjoy and please review! Thanks! :D**

**Oh, spoilers for "Journey" **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee**

**OooOooO**

_**WILL**_

I didn't think it was possible, but the hype for Regional's was even more intense this year than last year. The kids were really into it—we voted to do a Broadway medley and they loved it (especially Kurt and Rachel). New Directions was planning on singing "As Long As You're Mine" from _Wicked_ (Rachel and Finn could blow it out of the water), "Freak Flag" from _Shrek_ and "Seasons of Love" from _Rent. _

But that's just it. We were _planning _on singing. We were _planning _on going to Regional's and we were _planning _on winning. It never happened. Instead we faced disaster.

I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

Sectional's this year was a breeze: New Directions won by a landslide despite Sue trying to disqualify us (long story, but let's just say it involved Sandy Ryerson and his 'side business').

We had so much hope heading into Regional's this year. Vocal Adrenaline had not only lost their lead singer, Jesses St. James, but they also lost their all-star coach, Shelby Cochrane (she quit after adopting Beth). They were hardly a threat any more. And our other competition, Octave Anomaly? Nothing to worry about.

Mandatory rehearsals were scheduled Monday through Friday from three to five. I'm not totally sure if this is true, but I heard Santana grumbling about Rachel forcing every member of the club to attend Saturday practices as well. Either way we were prepared.

Tensions were high in the week leading up to our performance. Even though we were pretty confident, every member of glee was well aware that New Directions would be disbanded if we lost.

We met at eight o' clock sharp the morning of Regional's. The performance wasn't until twelve thirty, but we had to drive all the way to Indiana.

The glee members showed up one by one, all looking grumpy and tired as they clambered out of their parents' cars and sprinted through the rain and to the bus. Shockingly enough, Rachel was first (getting there fifteen minutes early) and Puck was last.

Soon enough we set out. The mood on the bus was anxious but excited. I sat at the front of the bus and all the kids spread out. Most took an entire row to themselves, but Finn and Rachel, Santana and Brittney, and Puck and Quinn doubled up.

The ride was pretty uninteresting. We travelled through seemingly endless miles of nothing—no cities, no attractions… nothing. For the most part I went through our numbers in my head over and over, though I did turn around every five minutes or so for a hand check.

Eventually we came to a wooded area. The road twisted and turned dangerously, as a driver wouldn't be able to see someone headed straight for him. The rain, which had been present the entire ride, had finally stopped, but the road was still slick. As I'm sure you could guess, this is where we ran into trouble.

At this point my memories are a bit hazy. I remember Rachel moving from her seat next to Finn to sit in the row behind me. She began interrogating me about choreography. If there is anything I remember, though, it is the image of a truck swerving wildly out of control and slamming into the window beside me.

OooOooO

_**FINN**_

Okay, I'm gonna take over now because Mr. Schue was like, passed out or something.

So, yeah. We were driving through Indiana to get to Regional's. We all got on the bus and I sat by Rachel. You see, we've been dating on-again off-again since last year. Well, mostly on-again, thank God. I mean, sure she can be annoying and self-centered and stuff, but when you really get to know her she's pretty great. She's nice and patient, she has the most beautiful singing voice I've ever heard, she's caring and smart—not to mention hot.

I'm getting sidetracked. Back to the story.

I was sitting next to Rachel. We were driving through the woods. Rachel freaked about something in "Freak Flag" and went to talk to Mr. S. Then it happened. I guess the bus must've hit a puddle or something, because out of nowhere the bus started spinning like crazy—well, as crazily as a school bus can spin. A few people cried out and were thrown from their seats.

But that wasn't even the worst part. From in front of me I heard Rachel and Mr. Schue scream. I barely caught a glimpse of a truck out my window before it slammed into the side of our bus.

Even though the truck hit a part of the bus in front of me it was still on my side, and I was thrown from my seat. The sound was terrible. The metal-on-metal sound was louder than an NFL crowd and worse than nails on a chalkboard. That combined with the screams made me think that my brain would explode.

The impact made the bus go on the two wheels on the right side for a second before falling completely on its side. I crashed into the opposite side of the bus (now the bottom). Pain shot up my right arm—imagine being hit, without pads, by the biggest linebacker in the NFL. Now multiply that pain times a thousand and you have how I felt.

The pain was too much. The last thing I heard before I passed out was the scariest sound yet: Silence.

**OooOooO**

**Okay, guys. What do you think? Is it good, or is it a misfire?**

**Just so you know, I plan on continuing this story rotating the POV. It'll rotate between mainly Will, Finn and Rachel, but **_**maybe **_**I'll throw in a little Puck or Quinn. I just don't want to do any characters I can't capture. **

**Please review fellow gleeks! I could **_**really **_**use the feedback! Please and thanks! :D**


	2. I'm No Doctor

**Hello, friends! How're things going? Here's chapter dos for you. I hope you like it! It's totally narrated by Finn. I'm pretty sure that the next will be both Finn and Rachel. **

**Okay, on to the story. Please review! Thanks! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**FINN**_

Finn here. Sorry I've been so dramatic so far, but this is pretty dramatic stuff. I will warn you that way more drama is coming up soon. Like, now-ish.

Anyways, when I woke up—'cause I passed out, remember? —my head and arm hurt so bad I though I was gonna pass out again. I didn't. I just sorta laid there for a while until I got the energy to sit up.

When I finally did I realized that I was one of the last to wake up. I looked back to the back of the bus. Everyone seemed pretty shaken up, but okay—from the outside at least. I mean, I'm no doctor so I'm probably not the best person to ask. Puck and Matt were working on getting the emergency exit open. The metal was all crunched up and stuff so they were having trouble. Quinn was sitting with her back against what used to be the roof of the bus. I'm pretty sure that she was crying. Mike was sitting next to her looking pretty out of it. Santana was out cold, and Brittney was right by her side looking very upset and _very _confused. Tina and Kurt were helping Artie back into his wheelchair, while Mercedes sat close by holding her arm in pain.

And Rachel—_Oh my God, Rachel! —_I remember thinking. I whipped my head around (which wasn't great for my headache) towards the front of the bus. My heart started racing like crazy—she was in the _front _of the bus. As in the part of the bus that was hit.

It didn't take long for me to find her—it's not like the bus was all that big. She was lying pressed up against the roof of the bus (now the side—I always feel like I have to explain that. It still confuses me). She had her back to me. She wasn't moving.

"Rachel!" I screamed loudly. I swear my heart stopped beating for a second.

I jumped up and ran to her, falling to my knees at her side. I was so scared that I kinda just sat there for a second and stared at her. I know I'm a dude and I'm supposed to have guts of steel and all that, but in the moment I was just so freaking scared that she wouldn't be okay.

"Rachel?" My voice probably wasn't as tough and strong as I'd like.

I took her by her shoulders as gently as I could and rolled her on her back. I put her head in my lap and brushed her hair out of her face. Like I said, I'm no doctor: I had no idea how to tell if she was, you know, alive or not.

"Rachel?" I shook her gently. No response.

"Rachel?" I shook a little harder. Nothing.

"RACHEL!" I basically screamed at her, shaking her shoulders like crazy.

She groaned.

I swear to God, that groan is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

I laughed out loud and buried my face in the crook of her neck.

"Oh thank God, thank God, thank God…" I cried into her neck.

Rachel didn't show any signs that she was waking up or anything. Maybe I should have cared, but in that moment all that mattered was that she was alive.

I sort of lost track of everything else going on around me. I'm pretty sure that I almost had a heart attack when someone put their hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry." Kurt's voice came from behind me. "Is she okay?" I turned to look at him. He really seemed worried about Rachel.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." I said. "She groaned." I must've sounded completely crazy, but I didn't really know what else to say.

"What?" Kurt looked confused.

"Oh, uh, Rachel… she groaned. That's good, right? I mean, she's alive." I explained.

"Um… yes. Yes Finn, that's good." The voice that Kurt used sounded exactly like the voice my mom used when my Grandma was in the hospital. She never came home.

"Is everybody else okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Puck and Matt got the door open and everyone is getting out now. Santana's knocked out, but she's breathing okay." Kurt told me. His thoughts seemed to be a long way away.

"Wait." I said as I thought of something. "Where's Mr. S? Is he okay?" Kurt's face changed from worried to panicked.

"What, haven't you seen him?" He asked me.

"No, I've been with Rachel." I explained.

Without another word Kurt took off for further up the bus. He sprinted, which I still think was kind of unnecessary considering Mr. Schue was in the row right in front of us.

I could tell that it wasn't good by the way Kurt gasped and put his hand over his mouth. His eyes were glued on something I couldn't see.

"What? What is it?" I asked, worried.

Kurt just shook his head and closed his eyes. I figured that Rachel would be okay for the fifteen seconds I planned on leaving her, so I gently moved her off my lap and joined Kurt.

I was right when I said that it wasn't good.

Mr. S had somehow like, slid under the seat or something, because he was jammed into the tiny space with the little bar that connects the seat to the floor digging into his stomach. He was sort of dangling from his spot—his knees touched the ground and so did his hands, but his upper body and head were hanging a few inches above it. He was totally out and had a huge piece of glass stuck into his side.

"Holy crap." I said under my breath. I'm no doctor, but I knew that this wasn't good.

Without saying anything, Kurt ran out the bus. I thought he was going to throw up, but he came back with Puck and Matt. The two guys and Kurt came to stand by me and look at Mr. S.

"Hey man. You okay?" Puck asked me quietly. The two of us have been back to being friends for a while now, which is good. I've known Puck forever and I sort of hated not talking to him.

I nodded. "You?" He nodded.

"What about Berry?" He asked. I shrugged. I never said we weren't awkward.

The four of us just stood there looking at our teacher for a minute before Matt spoke up.

"I don't think we should move him." He said.

Me, Puck, and Kurt all looked at him like he was an idiot.

"I'm serious. If we move him that glass could come loose and he could bleed out." Matt explained.

"So what do we do?" Kurt wondered.

None of us had an answer.

**OooOooO**

**Wow. I'm so super excited about this story :D. I 3 the angst and terror they're going through, as awful as that sounds. **

**Anyways, I'll try and update ASAP. With me you never really know how long that'll be. It could be tomorrow. It could be in a week. You know what really influences how fast I write? Reviews. Seriously. Please review, guys! Thanks! :D**


	3. Coping

**Hello fellow gleeks! Here we are with chapter tres! Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed! It means a lot! **

**I hope you enjoy, and please review! Thanks! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**FINN**_

Hey guys. It's me, Finn. Just stay with me for a bit longer, okay? In a sec I'm gonna let Rachel take over.

Okay. So, we decided to do what Matt said and not move Mr. Schue. Instead we (just the guys—we didn't want the girls to see him like this) got in teams of two and took turns watching him.

Kurt volunteered to go and look to see how the drivers were doing. He came back looking pretty shaken up and told us that they were both dead. I don't think that that really sunk in for me at the time. I mean, Quinn, Tina, and Mercedes all burst into tears, but all I really cared about was Rachel. She still hadn't woken up yet.

After we decided what to do with Mr. S I carried her out of the bus and laid her down on the softest looking grass I could find. I wasn't really sure why she wouldn't wake up, she didn't look too bad—all she had was a gash on her forehead. It wasn't that bad, either. It wasn't bleeding or anything…

I just sat with her for what seemed like forever. I watched everyone else as I waited. Kurt looked like he was making some sort of brace for Mercedes using his jacket and some sticks. Tina and Artie were sitting, not talking, alone on the side of the road. Quinn was crying hysterically and Puck had his arm around her. Brittney and Santana (she woke up right after we got off the bus) were sitting next to them, and Mike and Matt were watching Mr. Schue.

Most people's cell phones were broken, but Brittney, Tina and Kurt were all trying to put out a call. I guess there wasn't a signal because no one connected, but like I said, all I really cared about at the time was Rachel.

_**RACHEL**_

Hello all. This is Rachel Berry. Just as Finn said I would, I am taking over the story telling for a while.

I'm assuming that you understand the basics of our story by now. We were on the way to Regional's, there was a bus crash, death and injury, blah blah blah. Luckily most of us Glee clubbers were relatively unharmed. I'm really the one who had it worst, and that's just because I had the outrageous misfortune of moving to the front moments before the crash.

I'm not so sure if Finn made this very clear so I'm going to attempt to give you a little visual. We were driving down a wooded, meandering road. The road was slick from the rain and we started to spin. We were going sideways when a truck turned the bend right ahead of us. The poor guy tried to swerve, but he was too late: the front of his truck slammed into the first three rows of the left side of our bus. The driver was in the first, Mr. Schuester in the second, and I was in the third.

I can remember the truck beginning to spin, but I don't remember anything after that. I don't remember the crash itself. It was obviously bad though, considering two men lost their lives.

I'm not exactly sure how long it was before I woke up. I'm going to say that it must've been a while because I was the last one to wake up—besides Mr. Schue of course.

About thirty seconds passed between the time I opened my eyes and the time I was able to move. My head was hurting so badly I wanted to cry (being Rachel Berry I, of course, didn't). Just imagine someone putting an inflatable ball with metal spikes sticking out of it into your skull, and then slowly pumping air into it, letting the spikes dig into your flesh. That's about how I felt. I was aching all over, but nothing really compared to the pain in my head.

As soon as I opened my eyes I saw Finn sitting over me. He was holding my hand, but he didn't look down at me. The second I made some form of movement his gaze snapped from whatever he was looking at to me.

"Rachel!" He sounded so happy and relieved that I'm sure I would've smiled if I had the energy.

The only sound I was able to make was a groan.

"Thank God you're awake!" He put his hand on my back and helped me sit up.

"W-What happened?" At this point I had no idea what was going on (I never remembered the crash, remember?). I was so confused and tired and in pain that I was worried I'd faint.

"There was an accident—we got into a crash." He explained, pointing at the totaled bus with his hand that wasn't supporting my back.

It took me a moment to register what was going on. The bus looked pitiful: it was lying completely on its side, and was as crushed up as an old soda can.

I looked around me and searched for my fellow glee clubbers. I noticed a few missing faces and immediately started panicking.

"Where are Matt and Mike? And Mr. Schuester?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.

I could tell by Finn's face that he didn't really want to tell me. "Matt and Mike are fine. They're in the bus watching Mr. Schue. He… he's not doing to well, Rach…" Finn told me gently.

My heart stopped beating in my chest. My thoughts were racing, a fact that didn't serve my headache well. "Is he… alive?" I asked tentatively.

"I think so. He's pretty beaten up, but he was breathing last I saw him. All we have to do…" Finn kept talking but I stopped listening.

I was so scared I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream and yell, but what happened was much more humiliating: I cried. Actually, crying would be an understatement. I was sobbing—crying my heart out. I let my head rest on Finn's shoulder and just cried and let him hold me. I couldn't see Finn's face, but I'm pretty sure it had that dumbstruck look on it that I've always found completely adorable.

I know that I, being Rachel Berry, have been known for being a tad dramatic. That being said, the one thing I never do in public (unless it's fake) is cry. It's unbecoming for a star to be seen in such an unflattering light, so I avoid it as much as I can. I don't know if Finn has ever seen me cry. But here I was, breaking down and crying like everything I've ever loved was just ripped away from me. I could understand him being a little taken aback.

After a few seconds, though, his grip on me tightened and I heard him whisper comforting things into my ear. I don't know exactly what he was saying, but his voice in itself was enough to calm me down—at least a little.

It was a couple minutes before I could find words again. "I'm sorry." I said quietly, my words muffled by the fabric of Finn's shirt.

I could practically hear Finn smile. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Rach."

I found it amazing how, even in such an awful situation, I could feel so safe and secure in my boyfriend's arms. But I knew that I'd have to leave Finn's embrace soon enough and face the situation head on.

**OooOooO**

**So, I'm really sorry if that chapter was super boring. There's not a lot of plot development, but I feel like this chapter was still necessary. **

**I'm not exactly sure where this story is going or how long it'll be—I'm notorious for not planning out my stories at all. If anyone has any ideas or things they would like me to include, just shoot me a review. I can't promise that I'll include it because I may already have something planned that contradicts it or something, but there's a good chance I will, so tell me! **

**Please review, guys! Y'all have been great so far, keep it up! Thanks for reading and tell me what you thought. Thanks! :D**


	4. Like a Boy Scout

**Hey guys! Here I am with another update! In all honesty I should probably update some of my other stories, but this is the most fun to write. I hope you like this chapter! **

**By the way, does anyone get the title? It's pretty much for my own amusement—you know, the whole 'inside joke with myself' thing. I say that a lot ever since I started watching Alias. If anyone else watched Alias they should get what I mean. I hope…**

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Keep it up! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**RACHEL**_

Hello again. It's me, Rachel. Finn and I talked, and we decided that I was best fit to narrate for the time being.

So, where were we… yes! Okay, so, I'd just woken up and Finn was being all cute and boyfriend like. I'm not exactly sure how long I just sat on the road in Finn's arms. I probably could have (and would have) stayed there forever, but Kurt came rushing up to us.

"Rachel! Thank God you're awake!" He cried, pulling me out of my trance-like state.

I reluctantly pulled myself out of Finn's embrace to look at my (sometimes) friend. "Hey, Kurt." I said weakly, not really knowing what else to say.

"How are you feeling?" I was pretty surprised at the worry in his voice: It's not like we're the best of friends.

"Oh, I'm fine." I lied. I felt like I was dying. "What about you? Are you okay? What about everybody else?"

"Me? Oh I'm fine. One of the lucky ones, really. I'm pretty sure everyone else is okay—just a few cuts and bruises. I think that Mike and Santana might have concussions, and Mercedes seems to have a broken arm, but besides that we're okay." I thought it was strange how Kurt used the same tone one would use to discuss the weather. I guess it must be his way of coping—you know, acting like the whole thing isn't that big a deal. My therapist says I do the same thing sometimes.

As Kurt listed off the problems, my mind (me being the problem-solver that I am) started working out different things that I could do to help.

"Is anyone making sure that Mike and Santana stay awake? Does Mercedes have a splint? Has anyone checked to see if the cuts are infected? Has—"

Kurt cut me off. "Slow down, Patti LuPone. My mind can only take so many things at once. I'm not sure about Matt and Santana or the cuts, but I did make Mercedes a makeshift splint. I'm not sure if it's working so well, though."

Upon hearing this I began to scramble to my feet.

"Whoa, Rach. Hold on a sec." Finn jumped to his feet and helped me up.

"Thank you, Finn." I said before heading towards the bus.

Finn jogged ahead and stepped in front of me, effectively blocking my path.

"Wait, what are you doing?" He asked me.

"I need to go in there and get my bag and the first aid kit. I have basic first aid training—you never know when it can come in handy—and I need to check on everyone." I told him. It was true. My daddies made sure that I was first aid and CPR certified by the time I turned thirteen.

Finn nodded his head slowly. "Okay, but I'm going to get the stuff for you. Wait here." He turned to leave.

"Don't be ridiculous. I can get it myself." I said, not wanting him to think that I needed to be babysat.

I started to walk towards the bus once more, but Finn put his hand on my shoulder and gently held me back.

"I know you can, Rach. But I don't want you to see what's in there right now." I guess my confusion shone through because he elaborated. "I told you: Mr. Schue is in bad shape. And the bus driver, he's dead, Rachel. You don't need to see that." I swallowed hard and nodded, knowing he was right.

Finn gave me a reassuring smile before turning around and going in to the bus. I stood waiting for him—not wanting to sit for fear of not being able to get up again—for a couple minutes before he emerged, carrying my large gym bag and the bus's first aid kit. His face was pale and he looked shaken—I guess he was pretty affected by the scene inside the bus.

" Just put it down over here." I motioned over to the grass on the side of the road. Seeing how shaken he looked, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "Thanks, Finn." I smiled. He smiled weakly back.

Finn helped me get in to a sitting position on the ground (God, I hurt _so _bad!) before sitting down himself.

"Uh, Rach?" He started, eyeing my massive bag. "Why do you have such a big bag? I know Mr. Schue told us to bring our uniform, but isn't this a little much?"

"Well, Finn, if you must know I like to bring a few things with me wherever I go—just in case." I said matter-of-factly.

I started pulling things out of my bag. Water, a few granola bars, a tide-to-go pen (that would come in handy…), a change of clothes, duct tape—

"What do you need duct tape for?" Finn asked me, a hint of humor in his tone.

"Oh, Finn. What do I _not _need duct tape for?" I teased, enjoying the look of confusion that crossed his face.

Once I was done with my bag I began studying the contents of the first aid kit. There were bandages of all shapes and size, gauze, scissors, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, cotton balls, antibiotic wipes, a couple instant cold presses, and latex gloves. I couldn't help but smile at my find.

"This is great!" I beamed.

"What? What's so great?" Finn wondered, oblivious as always (don't look at me that way, Finn. You know it's true).

"This is everything I could need to tend to everyone. Could you help me up?" Finn popped up and gave me his hand. I tried to use my legs to push myself up, but they weren't working at the moment. I collapsed back onto the ground from my half-raised position. "Ugh! I'm sorry, Finn. I guess my muscles are a little off…" I told him, embarrassed.

He smiled at me. "Don't worry about it." He said before walking behind me.

I felt his arms hook underneath my armpits. "What are you doing?" I asked apprehensively. Without a response Finn pulled up, lifting me off the ground. He gently set my feet on the ground and didn't let go of me until he knew I was steady.

"Thanks." I blushed.

"Anytime." He grinned.

"I'm going to start going around and checking on everyone. Would you mind carrying that case?" I asked, gesturing to the first aid kit on the ground.

"Not at all."

The two of us exchanged a smile before setting out to help our friends.

**OooOooO**

**Okay my friends! That's it! I know it was short (you'll start to learn that all my chapters are pretty short) and likely pretty boring. The only thing with this story is that there won't be major plot twists every chapter—I want to keep it vaguely realistic (I don't even know if that's possible: this story is all sorts of unrealistic). **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please review! If you didn't, please review! Basically please review no matter what! Thanks so much! :D**


	5. The Doctor Is In

**Hey guys! First off I'd like to apologize for the long wait. Some family stuff came up and I haven't really had time to write lately.**

**Thanks so, so, so much to everyone who has reviewed! It means so much to me! Please keep it up! Thanks! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**FINN**_

Watching Rachel go around to all of our friends was a little like watching one of those annoying hosts on TV that my mom watches, like Rachel Ray or Tyra, but on fast-forward. She was going up to everyone and asking the most random questions like, "Do you know today's date?", or "Who's the President?", or "Who won the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a musical for 2009?". I asked what she was doing and she told me that she wanted to make sure that her 'patients' didn't have a concussion, so she was asking questions that _everybody _should know the answer to.

To be honest I was a little worried about her. She just wouldn't slow down.

"Rach! You've got to just take a second and chill. This can't be good for you." I must've told her like, thirty-seven times.

"Relax, Finn." She would answer every time, smiling that Rachel Berry smile. "I'm fine. Our teammates need help. What kind of captain would I be if I just sat around and didn't do anything?"

Every time she said that I had to resist the urge to groan and roll my eyes. I knew that she wasn't okay; that she was hurting.

No one else seemed to notice, though. Rachel was running around like nothing had happened. She went around and cleaned and bandaged everyone's cuts. She made Mercedes a new splint to replace the one Kurt made, and she checked Mike and Santana for concussions. After a few moments of random questions and creepishly looking at their eyes she decided that both of them had concussions. She then went into this huge lecture about what they should do and what their 'buddies' should do (Rachel also organized a new 'buddy' system).

"Despite what numerous seasoned doctors claim it is, in fact, okay for you to sleep. Just make sure that your buddy wakes you up every two hours to check up on you. In some cases a severe concussion can result in a coma or…" She would babble on and on like she was the voice in a commercial for some sort of medicine or something.

I guess I should've been able to tell that things were going to take a turn for the worst. I mean, I saw it happening but I didn't do a thing about it.

It had probably been about two hours since the crash, making it about eleven or so—just an hour away from Regional's, but I'm pretty sure that that was the last thing on everyone's minds—and I was walking, with Rachel, from Mercedes to Matt. She was walking a little ahead of me (for someone who has such short legs she sure can walk fast), and suddenly she just stopped. She brought a hand to her head and kind of scrunched up her face for a second before opening her eyes and looking at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, freaking out on the inside.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Yes, I'm fine Finn, thank you for asking. Just a little headache." She gave me that smile again. That totally fake smile that she used when she wanted me to think that everything was okay. I, being the idiot that I am, accepted it even though I knew she was lying.

After that Rachel continued her journey to check on each member of glee.

Once Rachel started to go around a second time I decided to put my foot down.

"Rachel." I tried to make my voice sound firm. She spun around to look at me.

"Yes, Finn?" She smiled. I was starting to get freaked out at how much she was smiling—no one smiles that much, especially when they've just been in a bus crash.

"Stop. You've done what you can. Take a break. Please? Just five minutes." I pleaded with her. I could tell that she was considering it for a few seconds before she answered me.

"Very well. If you insist. But just five minutes." I helped her get into a sitting position on the ground before dropping down next to her.

"Are you okay, Rach?" I asked her after a minute of silence.

"Yes, Finn! I'm just fine. Why do you keep asking me that?" She laughed, leaning in to my side.

"I dunno. You're just working so hard to make sure everyone else is fine, but no one is making sure that you are okay. You still haven't cleaned your own cut." I pointed out.

"Oh, gosh!" She shouted out of the blue as if she'd just realized something really important.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I just realized that I've looked at everyone thoroughly, but I haven't even asked you how you're feeling. Do you have any cuts?" She changed the subject.

"I'm fine, Rach. Seriously. You're the one I'm worried about." I told her.

"Well, don't be." She said firmly.

Things were quiet for a moment, then She looked down at her watch and frowned. "It's been five hours since we left school. Probably about four since we crashed. Two and a half since I woke up—"

"Were you really out for that long?" I wondered.

"I guess. You were probably out for a while, too. It's amazing how fast time moves out here." She said, sounding like a much older person. "We're in the middle of nowhere. No one has driven past us since we've been here. My guess is that it will be noticed that we aren't present at Regional's, our school will be called, then a search party will be sent out." She looked up at the sun, which was a little past halfway across the sky. "I just hope they find us before night time." Her voice sounded so soft and scared. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently. I wished I could've been more help, but I didn't really know what to do.

After a few minutes Rachel began to stand up. I jumped to my feet and helped her up.

"Well, that was well over five minutes. Let's get back to checking on our friends." She said, her vulnerability disappearing and her fake smile returning.

"You got it, doc." I said, trying to match her attitude.

I bent down to pick up the first aid kit and Rachel started to walk across the road to see Brittney. When I turned around I saw her standing still in the middle of the road. She was sort of swaying on her feet.

"Rachel?" I called to her.

She turned slowly to look at me. Her face was really pale and she was sort of shaking.

"Rachel!" I must've shouted because I drew the attention of everyone else. I rushed over to where she was standing.

"Maybe I should sit down." I heard her whisper before she collapsed onto the road.

**OooOooO**

**Sorry about that. Please don't kill me. Oh, anyone want to guess what's happening to her?**

**I'm really sorry that it took so long for this. I promise the next update will be sooner! To be honest I didn't really intend for this to happen so early, but the story was going nowhere and I had to advance the plot.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you thought. Tell me what you liked. Tell me what you didn't like. Tell me what you'd like to see happen. Any sort of feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks! :D**


	6. If Only We Could All Be McDreamy

**Hello, friends! I know, I know. It's been like, a month since I've updated. You know why? I'm lame. I'm really, really sorry! The good news is, while I was working on four multi chaptered stories at once, I am now only writing two including this one. That means faster updates! Honestly this time.**

**Anyways, this chappie is narrated by Quinn. It's totally spur of the moment. I just think it's better this way. **

**Please review! Thanks! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**QUINN**_

Yeah, so, it's Quinn. I'm going to narrate for a bit because, at this point in time, Finn was going a little crazy and Rachel, well Rachel was unconscious.

I'm going to start a little before the part where Finn left off. Don't worry, not too far before. In all honesty I don't really remember much of the crash and the hours after. Apparently I went into shock, which makes me feel like a total wimp. I mean, I wasn't even injured. Like, at all. Sure I had a few bruises and bumps, but Mercedes had a broken arm, Mike and Santana had concussions, Mr. S was impaled by a piece of glass, and Rachel—well, I'll get to Rachel eventually.

I remember waking up. I think I was the first to do so after the crash, that is, unless someone woke up and then passed out again. Apparently all of us lost consciousness, which I don't think is a very good sign. Anyways, I woke up and my head was throbbing. I wasn't in as much pain as you expect; like I said, I wasn't really injured too badly. I was just freaked out.

It took me a full two minutes to figure out that the bus was on its side. Waking up lying on the window was a surreal experience. I felt like I was in _Inception _or something. I stood up—using the chair to support myself—and looked around. I shouldn't have. I really, really wish that I had just stayed down and waited for someone else to scope everything out. I seriously thought that everyone else was dead. If you think I'm stupid, fine. But I'm telling you that you would think the exact same thing if you woke up, disoriented, in a bus on its side, to find all of your friends out cold on the ground. I felt the tears welling up inside of me. I started sobbing. Like, my body was convulsing uncontrollably. Then I saw the driver. His body was bloody and twisted and dead and I started crying even harder.

And then nothing.

I seriously don't remember the next few hours. The next thing I remember is Rachel standing in front of me asking ridiculous questions.

"Quinn? Quinn, can you hear me?" Her voice sounded very far away, but not in distance. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it was almost like we were standing next to each other in the middle of a tornado.

"Hm?" I snapped out of my fog and suddenly everything became clear. Seriously, it was like one of those Claritin commercials.

"Are you feeling okay?" Rachel asked me. Without waiting for an answer she moved forward and studied my eyes intensely.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, a little freaked out.

"Checking to see if you have a concussion." She said simply. "Follow my finger." She ordered and began moving her index finger back and forth. "What year is it?" She asked me.

"What? Why?" I was so confused.

"Just answer the question."

"2011." I answered.

"Who won the Tony Award for best leading actress in a musical in 2009?" Rachel interrogated me.

"Are you kidding?" I wondered. Seriously. How was I supposed to know that?

"Just answer the question!" She sounded annoyed. We don't get along too well.

"I have no idea. And it's not because I have a concussion."

Rachel looked at me, exasperated. "Alice Ripley." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She was more than deserving for her soon-to-be iconic role as Diana in _Next to Normal. _I completely agree with the decision as—" Can you really blame me for cutting her off?

"Rachel. I can tell you that I am 100% sure that I really, really don't care." I retorted in a harsher voice then I had intended. She looked at me like I had just punched a puppy.

She opened her mouth to tell me off, but a new voice saved me. "Just chill, Rach. She doesn't mean it. We're all just a bit moody right now." I noticed Finn standing behind her for the first time.

I was about to correct him by saying that I did, in fact, very much mean it, but Finn gave me a look that clearly said _'Don't even think about it'._

Rachel, surprisingly, just nodded and continued to interrogate me about my injuries.

When she was finished she looked at me, smiled, and said, "Okay, you're good to go. I don't think that you have any serious injuries."

I just nodded and walked away to go sit by Puck. I just walked away. I didn't even thank her. I regret that now.

I can't tell you how long I just sat there. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours. Time just seemed to blend together. Nothing really happened until I heard Finn's frantic voice across the street.

"Rachel!" He screamed in a panicked voice.

I turned to look at what he was freaking out about and my heart constricted in my chest: Rachel was frozen in the middle of the road, pale and shaking, with a dazed look on her face.

As if in slow motion Rachel collapsed to the ground. A chorus of "Rachel!" was screamed by at least four people, myself included. Everyone seemed to be frozen in shock for a moment—everyone, that is, except Finn. Within seconds my ex boyfriend was on his knees on the dusty road.

"Rachel?" Ugh. He sounded so vulnerable. That poor guy. From my place leaning against a tree I watched as he gathered the small girl into his arms and attempted to wake her.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I sprang to my feet and ran to the couple on the ground. "Rachel? Come on, Rach. Wake up. Please wake up." Finn begged.

I plopped down next to him and he looked at me with those adorable, sad, confused eyes. He looked as if he was pleading with me to make Rachel wake up. I gave him what I hope was a sympathetic look (I'm not really used to giving those) and leaned over to check Rachel's pulse. Now, what you have to understand is that I have no idea how to check a pulse. I mean, it looks easy enough when the ridiculously hot doctors on TV do it, but I couldn't quite figure it out.

"Is she…" Finn trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

"I don't know." I told him honestly. By this time there was a crowd of people standing in a circle around the three of us. "Does anyone know how to check a pulse?" I asked them nervously. What would we do if no one did?

Luckily I didn't have to find out. Tina, Mercedes, Kurt and Santana all raised their hands. Tina, who was closest, fell to her knees on the other side of our fallen teammate and placed two fingers on the crook of her neck. Her face scrunched up in concentration as she worked, and the rest of us became increasingly impatient.

"She's alive." Tina decided after a moment. I swear the air got thicker from everyone releasing their breath at the same time.

"What happened?" Kurt piped up from the back of the small crowd. We all looked at Finn expectantly.

He shook his head sadly and clutched tighter to Rachel. "I don't know. She was working so hard and I had her take a break and she did and then she started shaking and she collapsed." He spewed the information out faster than most of us could follow.

There was a moment of uneasy silence. "Does anyone have any idea what might have happened?" I wondered aloud. I was met by silence. "Does anyone have any idea what we should do?"

Silence.

**OooOooO**

**Okay, so I know that there was hardly any plot development in this one, but I did the best I could. And I'm sorry if Quinn is totally OOC. She's always either really hard for me to write or really easy. This was really hard. **

**Anyways, please review! Is there anything you'd like to see happen? Anything you liked? Anything you hated? PLEASE TELL ME! Thanks! :D**


	7. The Show Must Go On

**So this is super short. Sorry. I'm having quite the case of writers' block. If you have any ideas or suggestions please pitch them to me! **

**NOTE: This chapter is told from an OC POV. The lady who's organizing Regional's. **

**And, in case you're wondering, I did try and fit as much irony in this as I possibly could.**

**OooOooO**

Some people can be so inconsiderate.

Does no one understand that my job is hard enough as it is? Running the Regional's show choir showcase is no easy feat, I'll tell you. I spent countless hours on planning. I had to cover seating, timing, lights, sound, judges, ushers, janitors, the snack bar—everything.

And then one team decided not to show up. Seriously? Please, if you understand, please tell me. Why on Earth would a show choir work so hard to get to Regional's to not come? Why would they make ME work? Sometimes I think the world is out to get me.

I heard something about a bus accident. I don't really know much about it—I was so mad I broke my TV—but I'm sure it was just a little fender bender. I'm sure that 'New Directions' (What a stupid name) was merrily sitting by the side of the road while the two drivers exchanged information before going "Oh well! Always next year," and heading home. And where was I? Working my butt off here, only for disaster to strike.

Two choirs. How was I supposed to put on a show with just two choirs? It was terrible! An embarrassment to myself _and_ the great state of Indiana.

About thirty minutes before show time my assistant, Carl, came sprinting into my office.

"Kathleen! New Directions still isn't here!" He cried. Carl always has been a dramatic man.

I kept my voice as calm and even as I could. "Excuse me?"

Apparently 'calm and even' is synonymous with 'low and dangerous' because he looked terrified.

"Well, they're not here. I checked their info and called Will Schuester, the director. No answer." That pathetic little man was shaking where he stood.

I breathed in deeply through my nose and out through my mouth. I went through a few of the exercises that my therapist gave me—like releasing my anger in large breaths.

Carl, a little unsettled by my angry, bull-like breathing, spoke up. "Should we send someone out to look for them?"

Was he serious? These people were lazy and careless enough to be late and he wanted to help them? Oh, Carl. That mislead soul.

"No. Just make sure that Vocal Adrenaline and Octave Anomaly are ready and we're fine." I can't believe I kept my composure through that.

"But—"

"No, Carl! I don't care, I don't care about the rules, or what's ethical or any of that crap! They're late, so they're disqualified! End of story." I didn't say it lasted.

Carl just nodded frantically and ran off.

See what I mean about inconsiderate people? We working class citizens are the ones who suffer, I'm telling you.

Once the lights went down and the house doors closed I went on stage to make my introduction. I made a short comment that New Directions was disqualified, eliciting gasps from the crowd—they were by far favorites to win.

Oh well. The show must go on.

**OooOooO**

**Mmkay, so I know that this is sort of a lame, non-chapter. I'm sorry. Remember how I ended the last chapter with no one knowing what to do? Well, I'm in the same boat as them.**

**IMPORTANT! ****If you have any ideas for where you'd like this to go, please tell me. I'd really appreciate your input to get the creative juices flowing. Thanks!**

**Like I said, this is a lame non-chapter, but still review please! **


	8. The Power of Delegating

**Okay, so with this chappie we're back to the usual formatting of things. Last chapter was really just a filler because I couldn't think of anything. Basically all it was saying was that no one from Regional's is looking for them.**

**Thanks to all you reviewers! Please keep it up! Thanks :D**

**OooOooO**

_**FINN**_

For a while we all sort of just stood there. None of us knew what we should do. There we were, twelve kids—one unconscious—two dead adults and one dying adult. We were in the middle of nowhere and it would be getting dark soon. Well, soonish. Like, three or four hours from now. To be honest, I didn't really know how long. None of us did. Rachel had estimated that it was about five hours since we left school, but we couldn't really be sure. For all we knew it had been ten.

Anyways, I was standing sitting there, holding an unconscious Rachel and I had an apathy, or whatever it is. That thing where you realize something important. I realized that I was the leader. Rachel and I were the captains of glee, Rachel was down, and so it was up to me to take charge. I mean, being quarterback I have experience leading, so I needed to put it to use.

"Okay, guys. Here's what we're going to do," I announced. Everyone looked at me all shocked. I guess it weirded them out that one second I was freaking out and the next I was like Brett Favre. "Raise your hand if you have a working phone." Brittney, Tina and Kurt all raised their hands. "Okay, you three keep trying to get a signal. Keep just walking around to different spots and make sure you take a partner."

They nodded at me and then Brittney, Santana, Tina, Mike, Kurt and Mercedes split away from our little cluster-thing.

"Matt and Artie, stay near the bus. You don't have to be able to see Mr. Schue, but try to be there so you can hear him if anything happens."

"We're on it." Matt said. The two of them headed out. Me, Rachel, Quinn, and Puck were left.

"What should we do, chief?" Puck asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I pointed to Rachel's ridiculously huge bag. "Rachel brought some water and granola bars with her. Do you think you can find some way to split them up between us all?"

"Of course we can," Quinn said. She grabbed Puck's hand and led him away.

And I was left alone with Rachel in the middle of the road. I feel bad saying that it was kind of awkward, but it was. It's just… what's the protocol for this kind of thing? What was I supposed to do? Sit by her, hold her, hold her hand, talk to her? I didn't know. So I just sort of sat there. Awkwardly.

After a while the rain started again. No, I feel like 'rain' isn't a strong enough word. How about stormed, poured, intense down pour? (My vocab clearly isn't that strong…) This rain was crazy. It came down hard and fast, and lasted for a long time. Brittney, Tina and Kurt all shoved their cells into their pockets to keep them kind of dry (it would really suck if we lost those), and the girls began running to the bus.

"Wait!" I called from my place on the street. I would've run to stop them, but I was shielding Rachel from the rain with my own body. "Where are you going?"

"The bus!" Tina answered. "If you haven't noticed, it's raining. The bus is the only shelter we have."

Mike beat me to it. "No!" He yelled and ran behind Tina. He grabbed her hand. "Don't. You don't want to go in there." Something about the way he said it was just so intense that no one argued with him.

There was a pretty awesome moment of silence before Tina nodded. "Okay."

"Where do we go, then? Because if we don't find shelter like, now, you will all use your bodies to form a human shelter that I will get under," Santana yelled through the rain.

"The forest," Quinn suggested. "The trees are pretty dense back there. They should give us at least some shelter."

I wasn't exactly happy about the idea of hiding out in the trees, but at that time I was leaning over my unconscious girlfriend, trying to keep the rain off of her. I'd do anything.

"What happens if a car drives by? They won't be able to see us," Mercedes wondered..

"Yeah, but they'll be able to see the massive bus totaled on the side of the road," Kurt pointed out.

"What about Mr. Schue?" Artie asked.

Back to leader Finn. "We'll keep doing shifts of two of the boys watching him at all times. Whoever's turn it is can sit in the back of the bus to stay out of the rain."

"Look. I want to stay with Mr. S just as much as all of you do, but I just don't get why we're doing shifts. None of us would be able to do anything if he woke up, anyways. I mean, has anyone checked lately to see if he's even alive?" Puck said.

There was a moment of silence. We had a lot of those that day. I think everyone was seriously considering what Puck said. I couldn't believe that anyone would actually be okay with us leaving Mr. Schuester.

"No. We're not going to leave him. He's alive; Matt checked a couple of minutes ago. And we stay with him because he would do it for us. He would never let one of us wake up and be alone," I answered, keeping my voice as controlled as I could.

Everyone looked guilty about the thoughts that I'm sure were just running through their heads. Puck looked at me and nodded. "Fair enough."

"I'll take the first shift. I'll carry Rachel into the trees and then come back out and sit with Mr. S." I said, bending down and picking up Rachel bridal-style. It scared me how limp her body was.

"No, man," Puck shook his head.

"What do you—" He cut me off.

"There's no way you're taking a shift. You stay with your girl. She needs you more than Mr. Schue does." I nodded my thanks to him

The rest of the group watched our conversation quietly. The girls seemed a little surprised how easy drama can be resolved between guys.

"Me and Mike will take the first shift," Matt decided.

With that I turned around and headed to the trees.

**OooOooO**

**Okay, sorry it was short. Again. My muse hasn't exactly come back to me, so this was a little forced. I hope it's okay anyways. **

**I'm honestly going to try to update as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises. My schedule is freakishly hectic. Thank you so much to everyone has stuck with this story even with my suckish updating habits. **

**Please review and tell me what you think, and what you'd like to see happen! Thanks!**


	9. Who Do I Look Like, Attila the Hun?

_PUCK_

I was never a boy scout. Well, I was for like two days in like, first grade, but I don't think that counts. I mean, I only went for the snacks and the totally hot den mom, and then was kicked out for setting our little flag on fire.

So I pretty much had no idea how to handle being stuck in the woods without modern day technology like cable and stuff. Don't get me wrong, the Puckster can deal with anything, it just sucked.

We all walked through the woods until we found a good place to set up camp. It was pretty hard because we needed a place that was close to the road, covered by trees to block the rain, but still had space to lay down and stuff. Oh, and Artie had to be able to get there, too.

After like, five minutes of looking we found one.

"Does anyone know how to set up a lean-to?" Kurt asked. He looked pretty horrified that he would be sitting in the dirt. No one answered. "Do you?" He asked, looking at me.

"Who do I look like, Attila the Hun?" I shot back. Seriously, though, why ask me?

"That doesn't make sense…" Mercedes whispered under her breath. I'm sorry if my attempts at a historical reference weren't good enough for little Ms. Diva.

I saw Finn out of the corner of my eye. He was carrying his pint-sized girlfriend and trying to find the driest patch of ground he could. The poor guy looked pretty pathetic. He looked sort of like Bambi did after his mom got shot. I haven't really seen that movie or anything, but I figure he'd look pretty bummed.

Nevertheless, I felt bad for the guy. I knew that, if it were Quinn, I'd be pretty pathetic, too. So I took off my jacket and laid it on the ground, right under this nice, big tree.

"Right over here, man," I called to him. "Put her here." Finn looked at me and sort of half-smiled. I guess that was all he could manage at the time. In my opinion, it's better to not smile at all than to half-smile. Half-smiles are kind of creepy.

Anyways, Finn laid her down as gently as a completely un-gentle guy could and then plopped down beside her. I saw that he wasn't going to be doing much more, so I looked around at the others.

Kurt and Mercedes were leaning against another tree and were talking. Mercedes's arm was in this funky splint thing, and it didn't seem to be hurting her as much as it had been. I guess Rachel actually knew what she was doing. Sometimes I think that that girl just makes up things about topics that no one cares about so that she'll sound smart.

Brittney and Santana were also sitting. They weren't really under a tree, so they were getting rained on. I don't think they cared. They were playing that 'slide slide slippery slide' game, and they seemed to like how the water helped the 'slide' part.

Tina had parked Artie in as dry and flat a place as she could. It wasn't very dry or very flat.

Me and Quinn weren't even talking. We were just sitting. She didn't say a word, she just kind of zoned. Rachel said that she was in shock, or whatever, and I didn't really know what to do with that, so I just sat with her and stayed quiet.

It was weird, though, because she would be okay one second, and then all messed up the next. I could tell that the girl was going to need some serious therapy when this was done.

So basically, everyone was doing nothing. That was how the next forty-five or so minutes passed. It was totally boring.

It was getting dark, which was both cool and exciting, and terrifying. None of us knew how to start a fire. Not that we had the materials to, even if we did.

We were stuck in the woods, hurt and alone, and we had minutes before total and complete darkness.

**OooOooO**

**Really short chappie, I know. Sorry. But it was Puck! That has to count for something!**

**I'll try to update ASAP! I think this story is almost over. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! It means a lot! Thank you so much! :D**


	10. Maternal Instinct

**Before you get excited, I feel like I should warn you that this is a short chapter, and it's not very good. I apologize, but it was either post this now, or wait until Lord knows when. **

**Thanks for all the reviews so far! Y'all are awesome. Keep it up and I promise to try like crazy to get the next chappie up by 2011! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**SHELBY**_

So, most of you probably think I'm a bitch—especially if you're friends with Rachel. I completely understand if you do. I realize that I'm not exactly mother of the year.

But the thing that you have to understand is that last year, when I reunited with Rachel for the first time, I really wanted to get to know her and to be part of her life. I really, really did.

It's the kind of thing I always fantasized about; ever since the day I gave her away. I guess I romanticized it into being this dramatic and loving reunion where we just ran to each other and everything was perfect. We'd become close and she'd come to me for advice on things she couldn't bring to her dads. We'd finally be like mother and daughter should be.

It was stupid of me.

I saw her walk into my auditorium and introduce herself and it finally hit me: Rachel wasn't a baby anymore. She wasn't _my _baby. She was the teenage daughter of two men that have loved and taken care of her for sixteen years. It wouldn't be fair for me to come in and screw that up. Not fair for her dads, for her, or for me. And plus, I wasn't ready for a teenager.

So I let her go. It was even more painful the second time. I'd gotten to see how beautiful and talented and kind she was. I'm sure it was hard for her too, but it was the right thing to do.

But through all of this, I still feel very maternal towards her. I still think of myself as her mother, and if she ever came to me for help I would go to the end of the world. I think about her all the time.

I also worry. I worry about her in the same ways that her dads do, only I'm not around to check and make sure she's okay.

That day I worried more than I ever thought possible.

I went to Regional's. I told myself that it was to surprise my former students. I guess I wanted to see Rachel, too, because I noticed instantly that she wasn't there. As a matter of fact, her entire team was missing. I told myself that they must've just gotten stuck in traffic, but I was still a bit on edge.

When it was announced that New Directions was disqualified I calmed down a little. I figured that they had broken a rule or something, I mean, there are a hell of a lot of rules; it wouldn't be hard to do. I was still a little uneasy, but I was able to sit through the show. Vocal Adrenaline won, if anyone cares.

By the end of the show I had resolved to talk to someone with some kind of authority and find out why New Directions was disqualified. While I certainly didn't find anyone with authority, I asked this squirrely little man who was an assistant to the event manager.

"Well, they never showed up," He stammered.

"What?" All of my worry came flooding back in an instant.

"They didn't call, email, or anything. They just never showed up so Kathleen, my boss, said that they were disqualified."

"Well are they okay? Do you know where they are?"

Carl just shook his head and then walked away in his nervous, jumpy way.

So remember what I said about worry? About how I worried like crazy that day? Yep, this is why. I just _knew _that something terrible had happened. Call it maternal instinct, but I knew that my daughter needed me.

So I got in my car and set out to look for them. My worry then was nothing compared to what it was when I found them.

**OooOooO**

**So I feel like I need to apologize for that chapter. I personally think it sucks, but I really, really don't have time to fix it. There'll be like two more chapters, and I PROMISE they'll be better than this one. Scouts honor. **

**Even though I'm sure this was unsatisfactory for everyone, I'd still REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate it if you dropped me a review. Thanks so much! Happy holidays! :D**


	11. Tax Dollars at Work

**Maybe it wasn't **_**before**_** 2011, but I'm pretty close! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews! :D**

**OooOooO**

_**SHELBY**_

It took me a long time to find them. Too long.

I basically did what anyone would do: I began driving back to Lima in the way that I guessed they came. Of course, my first guess was some forest trail that was blocked off due to the rain.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. This road is closed. The rain has made it too dangerous for drivers," A tough looking fireman told me.

But I'm a Cochran. My stubbornness is my most prized quality.

"Look, sir. I've got people I'm trying to find. I _need _to get down this road."

"Like I said, ma'am, that's impossible right now."

I sighed heavily. Then I went for the oldest trick in the book.

Suddenly I locked eyes on a random spot in the distance and shot my arm towards it, pointing deliberately.

"My God, what is that?" I cried. The officer spun around to look at it and I gunned the engine.

It was fantastic.

I know, you would think that he'd follow me, right? He didn't. I guess he figured that I wasn't worth abandoning his post for. I'm not complaining.

He was right about one thing, though: that road was dangerous. Whoever designed it should have their ass kicked. The road snaked through the trees, making sharp turns to the left and right several times. With the road slicked by the rain I had to take the curves at about twenty. It drove me crazy.

Now, so you don't think I'm a _complete_ idiot, you should know that I didn't just go off on my own without doing my research first. I called every member of New Directions whose phone number I had—which, by the way, is quite a few. I called Will, Rachel, Quinn and Puck (I have their numbers so they can keep in touch with Beth if they want to). No one answered. So at that point I was freaking out a little. Like I said, I'm not a complete idiot, so I called the police. Apparently there is some damned forty-eight hour rule that stopped me from being allowed to report them missing. My tax dollars at work.

So that's when I decided to set out on my own. As I drove, I scanned my eyes back and forth through the trees. I'm not sure why I was expecting for them to be hidden in the forest, without any sign of them on the road, but I kind of was.

Which is why it was such a shock when I finally found it.

The bus was completely totaled. It was so crazy; I'd never seen anything like it. If you asked Rachel, she'd describe it as looking like a crushed up soda can, which I think is the perfect description. My heart stopped as soon as I saw it. There was no way anybody could survive a crash like that.

But apparently someone did. Barely a few seconds after I pulled up towards the bus and the truck that I assumed it collided with, a boy started running to me through the pouring rain. I recognized him as being in New Directions—Matt, I think his name is.

"Help! Help us, please!" He was screaming the entire time. I hopped out of my car and met him halfway. "Ms. Cochran?" He seemed shocked that I was there. The poor kid was probably worried that I was a hallucination.

Now, I know that I should have been concerned for him and everyone else, but as soon as I saw that bus there was only one thing on my mind: Rachel. Trust me, if you ever become a parent you'll understand. And the fact that there was only one visible survivor didn't help much.

"Rachel?" Yep, it was the first thing out of my mouth. Not, 'are you okay', or 'are there others', just 'Rachel'. It's not that I didn't care about the others; I just cared more about my daughter. Make sense? Please don't think I'm a terrible person.

Matt looked confused for a second, but then he started nodding. "Yeah, she's with the others." He swung an arm around to point towards the trees.

I sighed in relief. Rachel was okay. Thank God.

"She passed out a while ago and hasn't woken up yet, but she's alive."

Relief gone. All I wanted to do was run to her, but I had to know about the others. "Is everyone else okay?"

Matt shook his head and my heart dropped. "Both drivers are dead. Mr. S is in pretty bad shape; he's in the van. Some of the others are a little banged up, but nothing too bad."

While he was talking I nodded and pulled out my cell phone. "Damn." I cursed out loud.

"What?" Matt looked confused again.

"No service." I looked around frantically. I was torn. Torn between going into the trees and finding my daughter, and driving until I got better cell service so I could call an ambulance. The right choice was obvious, even if I didn't like it.

"Okay, go get everyone and bring them to the side of the road. I'm going to get help."

The look on Matt's face was one of relief and pure joy. He smiled at me—I'm sure it was the first time he'd smiled in a while. "Thank you," He said before sprinting back into the trees.

With a wistful look in the direction he was running, I spun around and headed back to my car.

I drove three miles before I got a signal, but once I did it was the most glorious moment of my entire life. I dialed the number with shaky hands.

"911 What is your emergency?"

**OooOooO**

**Yay! Rescue! But will Rachel and Will be okay? Hmm… **

**One **_**maybe **_**two more chapters left! **

**Please review guys! How do you want it to end? Thanks! Happy New Year! :D**


	12. Some Crazy Kind of Miracle

_**FINN**_

So, I'm not the kind of guy who gets scared of the dark. Actually, I don't really scare easy over anything. I know that I'm supposed to be the big tough quarterback and everything, so I guess I kind of made sure that I fit that role, or whatever you'd call it. Like, I used to get scared of spiders, but then one day this little voice in the back of my head said: "Come on, Finn. Men aren't scared of spiders. They aren't scared of _anything_." Of course the voice itself was rough and kinda scary, so I wasn't exactly off to the best start. Eventually, though, I taught myself to not be scared of spiders.

My point is, I'm not afraid of the dark.

But, dude, this was really, _really _scary. We're talking pitch black. As black as black can get. I couldn't see my shirt, much less Rachel. It was creepy really, how it went from being like broad daylight to deep into the night. I guess it had something to do with the fact that it's winter and…we were in the forest…

As soon as it was getting to that point where the darkness was closing in, I made sure I knew where Rachel was. I was kind of freaked out that that little girl from_ The Grudge_ was going to grab her and make her disappear into nothing, so I shifted so that Rachel was in my lap with her head rested in the crook of my elbow.

I could tell by people's voices that they were starting to panic, but everybody hid it pretty well. Well, everybody except Brittney. She was crying and screaming something about needing 'Alonzo the Night Light.'

There was still a little light left when I heard someone making there way towards us through the forest. A million video game scenarios ran through my head, and I wished I had Halo flamethrower.

"Guys!" I let out a breath when I heard Matt's voice. "We got help! We got help, guys!" He was screaming and running as fast as he could without tripping over the place.

"What?" I found myself asking. I'd started to think that help would never come.

Matt stopped once he reached me, paused for a second to catch his breath, and then shot off into an explanation. I didn't catch everything he was saying, (he was talking _way _too fast) but I got the gist of it. Apparently Mrs. Cochran (still not completely sure why she was there…) was off calling an ambulance and we needed to move out to the road.

Everybody had come and stood around me and Rachel while Matt was talking, and as soon as he was done they started sprinting towards the street. There wasn't hugging or happy crying or anything. They just ran.

Well, Artie didn't, but that was expected. I didn't, either; I still had to take care of Rachel. I made sure not to move her too much as I lifted her. She was still unconscious, which was kind of freaking me out, but I held my hand in front of her face and could feel breath, which I figured was a good thing.

"Did ya hear that, Rach? Your mom's here! She's getting us help right now. Just hang in a little longer," I told her as I made my way to the road. It was really hard for me to get excited about rescue with Rachel like she was.

I only tripped once on the entire hike. Some stupid tree had roots sticking half a foot out of the ground. Aren't roots supposed to be _under_ground? With Rachel in my arms I couldn't catch myself, so I hit the ground. Hard. But don't worry; I managed to twist awkwardly so Rachel landed on top of me. I'm a good boyfriend.

Really I was kind of surprised that I only fell that once—I mean, I've always been a klutz, and my feet are too big for my body. I guess I was just being extra careful.

When I got to the road, everybody was lined up to the side, waiting impatiently. I kind of expected the ambulance to be there waiting for us, but it wasn't. I guess Mrs. Cochran had to find cell signal, and then the ambulance had to drive all the way out there. It was going to take a while, I figured. I was right.

It took half-an-hour for everybody to sit down. They were all so excited about rescue they just couldn't bring themselves to earlier, I guess. I was the first one down, which is fair considering I was carrying Rachel.

After forty-five minutes—by this time we were well into complete darkness—people were getting nervous.

"Are you sure you saw her, Matt?"

"It's been a long day. It must've been a mirage."

"Dude. Worst. Prank. Ever."

"I saw her, guys. Honestly."

Then, after an hour, the most horribly cheesy, cliché thing happened. We started singing.

It all started with Puck, of all people.

"_Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby._ _If you need me, call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far. Just call my name I'll be there in a hurry you don't have to worry…"_

At least the song didn't like, reflect the situation perfectly. That would've been way too much.

Then Mercedes decided to sing along. _'Cause baby, there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you." _

Artie decided to sing the next verse, and by the next chorus, everyone was singing. Once that song was over, we sang another. And another. And another.

I'm not really sure how many songs we sang; I just know that, if we hadn't, the darkness would've scared me to death.

I dunno, I guess that singing is just our own, demented way of communicating and supporting each other.

It took an hour and a half for the ambulance to get there. We could hear them coming a mile away, but the trees made it really hard to see them. Once we did the light nearly blinded me.

"Here! Over here!" I started screaming as soon as the doctor-people jumped out of the ambulance. Rachel was going to be the first to get help; I'd make sure of it. I saw Quinn directing one of the other ambulances (there were three or four, I think) to Mr. S in the van.

"Sir, can you tell me what happened?" A young guy asked me, taking Rachel out of my arms. I popped up and went right back to her side.

"There was a crash and she said she was fine after and she was helping and stuff and then she got really pale and I told her to stop but she's really stubborn and wouldn't listen and she finally did but then she passed out and she hasn't woken up yet and I don't know if her heart's beating or whatever but she's breathing which is good and—" The doctor cut me off. I'm not really sure if he got anything I said, I was talking kind of fast.

"Okay, sir, don't worry. We're going to take her to the hospital. You need to get yourself checked out—"

Wait, what? He wanted me to leave Rachel? There was no way that was going to happen.

"What? No, I'm not leaving. I have to stay with her, she's my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, sir, but you really need to—"

"No! I'm not leaving, okay?" I'm pretty sure I was yelling at the poor guy at this point. It worked, though.

He looked at me for a second and then nodded. "Okay, fine. You can ride in the ambulance, as long as you promise to get checked out as soon as we get to the hospital, okay?"

I nodded and followed him into the ambulance. I grabbed Rachel's limp hand as the doors slammed shut.

_**WILL**_

So I guess the kids have told you about the aftermath of the crash. I still don't know much about it, and I don't think I ever want to.

It's a miracle that I even survived, really. The glass that stuck into my side missed all major organs and arteries—it only went into me about an inch and a half. The doctors say that the glass is the only thing that kept me from bleeding out, actually. If the glass had been removed, I would've died by the time help arrived.

I also had a grade two concussion, and two cracked ribs from where I hit the seat. I was lucky, really, considering where I was sitting in relation to where the bus hit.

As for the kids, most of them only had minor injuries. Mike had a grade one concussion, Santana grade two. Mercedes had a hairline fracture of the radius. Other then them and Rachel, there were mainly just cuts and bruises. It was some crazy kind of miracle that we all survived.

Other than me, Rachel is the one that had it worst. The root of all of her problems was a nasty, grade three concussion. That led to a subdural hematoma, and then a high intracranial pressure. Basically, she hit her head really hard, she started bleeding inside her head, and the blood pooled near her brain, and then her brain started swelling.

Luckily, the trauma wasn't extensive enough to need surgery. She needed a little breathing support, some heavy medication, and the doctors had to drain her cerebral spinal fluid. She was back to yelling at me for not giving her solos in no time.

As for New Directions as a whole, this whole experience has brought us closer. We faced death together and survived. Maybe it's not how I'd like for us to bond, but we bonded nonetheless. We were disqualified from Regional's, which I still think is complete crap. Apparently the show had gone on without us and a winner had been chosen. They couldn't take it back. I did, however, manage to have some lady named Kathleen McMahan fired for neglecting to send out a search party.

The kids were kind of bummed that we didn't get a chance at Regional's, but I think they were mainly just glad that we all survived. At least now we can shoot for next year.

_**RACHEL**_

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Finn. He was sitting in a chair beside my bed holding my hand, and he was fast asleep. At first I didn't know exactly where I was, but everything came back to me after a while. Well, almost everything. According to the doctors, memory loss is common for head traumas like mine.

"Finn," I squeezed his hand and called his name quietly. He didn't even flinch. "Finn," I said louder the second time. Nothing. "Finn!" I yelled, startling him awake. He jumped out of his chair and put his fists up like he was going to fight someone. I laughed at how ridiculous and adorable he looked, but stopped quickly at the excruciating pain in my head.

"Rachel!" He cried happily, seating himself in his vacated chair. "How are you feeling?" He looked so happy to see me awake. I felt my heart swell in my chest—which, by the way, is much less painful than having your brain swell in your head.

"I'm fine," I told him truthfully. Compared to the way I felt after the crash I felt like a million bucks. Wait, the crash! This was the 'after a while everything came back to me' part. "Oh, my God! Are you okay? Is everybody else okay? What about Mr. Schuester? He was right near the truck—" At first I just remembered the crash, not everything else after it. I had no idea if anyone else was even alive.

"Whoa, Rach. Calm down. We're all fine. Mr. S woke up about an hour ago. He's fine, we're all fine. You're the one we're worried about."

"Where are they?"

"I'm not sure. Mr. Schue is in a different ward completely—we're in the ICU—and everyone else is spread everywhere. Your dads are here, they just went to get coffee. Oh, yeah! You're mom's here, too. She's the one that found us." Something he said drew my attention. I didn't even register that Shelby was here until later when she came to see me.

"Wait, I'm in the ICU? What happened to me?" I should've realized that Finn wasn't the best person to ask that…

"Oh, um, yeah. You passed out. You didn't wake up and it was freaking me out. The doctors said you had a bad concussion which caused a… subhemmoral dermatoma… or something… which caused a… decreased—no, increased—head pressure…or something—"

"You know what? I'll wait and let the doctors explain it to me," I smiled to him so he didn't take offense.

His grin must've been ten times as big as mine. "I'm so glad you're okay, Rach. For a second I thought… well, I don't know exactly what I thought. I didn't think you would be okay, I guess. That scared me. I love you, Rach," I've never heard someone sound so genuine in my entire life. He lifted the hand he was holding and kissed it.

How is it that I was laying in a bed in the hospital after almost dying and I had never felt so happy? "I love you, too, Finn."

I was released from the hospital a week later. Rehearsals started up again the day after I got back. We're back into the old routine now, which I don't mind at all. If anything's changed, it's that glee feels like more of a home than ever. It's kind of crazy that after this huge tragedy happens, things are better than they were before. I guess it's like Mr. Scuhester keeps saying: though the crash was awful and painful, it ended up being some crazy kind of miracle.

**OooOooO**

**Well, guys, it's been a great run. I had a great time writing this story, and I hope you had a great time reading it. **

**Btdubbs, the song was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye.**

**Thanks so much for reading. I know that my updates were few and far between, so I really appreciate you for sticking with it all the way through. Special thanks to those of you that reviewed. **

**Speaking of, PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love to hear your closing thoughts! Thanks so much! :D**


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